By Kirk Johannesen, The Republic
johannesen@therepublic.com
Columbus Regional Hospital will not offer services for weeks, said Chief Executive Officer Jim Bickel.
It could take months before operations return to preflood status.
"To make a realistic estimate at this time is really difficult until we get some more information back," Bickel said.
Bickel estimated that all water would be pumped out of the hospital's basement within the next 24 hours.
After that, offi cials must assess structural and electrical damage and contamination levels.
In the meantime, CRH is working with other hospitals and Indiana Hospital Association so that CRH doctors can treat their patients at other facilities.
Exploring locations
The hospital's medical executive committee is working on establishing agreements with other hospitals, but none have been finalized, Bickel said.
A hospital's capacity and the services it provides will determine if CRH doctors would work at it, Bickel said.
St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis is working with OB/ GYN groups from Columbus to accommodate their patients, Bickel said.
Schneck Medical Center is making arrangements with CRH to allow its doctors to treat their patients there, said Vicki Johnson, vice president of nursing at Schneck.
The Seymour hospital has treated some Bartholomew County residents in its emergency department, Johnson said. Schneck's emergency has handled a slightly higher volume of patients than normal, she said.
Johnson also said Schneck's inpatient beds are full but noted that turnover happens quickly.
CRH's rehabilitation facility on Marr Road will remain closed today.
Hospice of South Central Indiana's inpatient facility is open.
Determining priorities
Bickel said that Doug Leonard, president of Indiana Hospital Association, and CRH's former CEO, has been in constant contact.
Leonard's also been in touch with leaders at hospitals who have suffered similar flooding, to receive tips on how CRH can get up and running quickly.
By the end of the week, CRH hopes to have compiled a priority list to determine which services should resume first.
CRH services in the basement - including pharmacy, laboratory, food, kitchen, information technology, sterile processing, supply distribution, laundry and health information - were completely under water and are considered a total loss, said Larry Meade, CRH manager of marketing and advertising.
Bickel said CRH's patient data is stored electronically and saved at the end of every day, including at a backup location outside of Columbus.
He doesn't expect that many patients' information was lost, but that wouldn't be known until records are searched. Some records were on the second floor.
No estimate for the damage has been determined, Bickel said.
The status of the hospital's renovation and construction project has not yet been discussed, Bickel said.
"This is a great hospital, and it will get back there, but it's going to take a lot of work," Bickel said.